Immigration reform: Guatemalans seek better life in Tusc

Immigration legislation could have a huge effect on the Hispanic population in Tuscarawas County and surrounding areas — particularly Guatemalans — according to Jeff Stewart, a volunteer with the Immigrant Worker Project.

It was barely 7 a.m. Saturday, and already there was a line of people surrounding the Tuscarawas Central Catholic Elementary School building.

Men, women and children had gathered for what they hoped would be an opportunity to enhance their lives here in the United States.

Members of the General Consulate of Guatemala had arrived to assist them in gaining legal documentation. About 350 people were present to get passports and consulate ID cards — tools that would help them secure work in Ohio, and, hopefully, legal residency if not a chance to become citizens down the road.

Inside the school building sat a 21-year-old man named Saul, waiting patiently for his chance to fill out his paperwork.

He alternated between Spanish and English, sometimes relying on a volunteer interpreter, while managing to use words he learned from watching English movies with subtitles and listening to music.

Saul was 15 when he arrived in the United States and moved to Ohio.“I had to pay somebody at the border to bring me here,” he recalled.

The trip was scary for him as he traveled alone to meet with his father and brother, but he had hope.

“During my journey, I was thinking always to be here, because I wanted a better opportunity for my life — different than my country,” he said.

Saul’s homeland has suffered the after-effects of the Guatemalan Civil War since it ended in 1996. During the 36-year conflict, more than 200,000 people were murdered, mostly indigenous Mayans. In May, the Associated Press reported that the Guatemalan court convicted former dictator Efrain Rios Montt on charges of genocide.

Guatemala is still dangerous, Saul said. “We have a lot of corruption,” he said. “Even the police you cannot trust.”

He recalled seeing people pay the police to get away with crimes or if a fight broke out, law enforcement usually would stand around and watch, taking bets, rather than stopping it.

He wants to go to college someday and study political science, hoping he can help other people in his community. Mostly, he wants to be an American citizen.

“I will have the same rights all Americans do — freedom and equality.”

That’s the vision of many Guatemalans, said Enrique Garcia Chacon, the vice counsel for the General Consulate of Guatemala, Chicago division.

“We want to help them with their identification and to prepare them for a future with immigration reform,” he said.

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He was referring to a piece of legislation that may offer the hope of citizenship to millions of immigrants living in America illegally. Thursday, the legislation passed through the Senate, but has yet to be introduced in the House.

The legislation could have a huge effect on the Hispanic population in Tuscarawas County and surrounding areas — particularly Guatemalans — according to Jeff Stewart, a volunteer with the Immigrant Worker Project. The project is part of the mission of Central San Jose, a social service and community center based in Canton.

Stewart said his organization has noted somewhere between 5,000 to 6,000 Guatemalans living in the area. That’s why he offers his translating services to people such as Luis Palacios, the president of MIGUATE, Mayan Indigenous Guatemalans, a non-profit organization in Dover. The organization spearheads efforts to help the local Hispanic population with transportation to the hospital, applications, and getting linked with English, literacy and computer classes.

Palacios said U.S. citizenship is the goal of all the immigrants he knows. “It’s everybody’s dream,” he said.

However, immigrants often are given a bad reputation.

“A lot of the immigrants are painted with a broad brush that we don’t pay taxes or use a lot of social services,” Palacios said.

“They are seeking work and a better life. People come to Tuscarawas County because there is work and a strong sense of community,” he added.

“I want to be a part of the community and not be invisible,” said 26-year-old Remigio. Remigio came to this country eight years ago, seeking a way to build a better life for himself and his family back home.

Now supporting a wife and twin 4-year-old boys, his biggest wish is to see his sons go to college.

“I want to give them the best education. They will probably go to college and they will have a better future than me.”

Translating for Remigio was a woman well-known in the county’s Hispanic community, Denisse Paez. Paez volunteers at the school, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Dover and at the Dover Library, offering free translation services to help the local Hispanics with finishing their work applications, or understanding medical bills.

A native Mexican, Paez and her husband moved to Dover in 2002. She said learning English was a struggle for her when she moved to Ohio. It became especially difficult when her daughter was born two months premature.

“We had lots of medical issues and doctor’s appointments. It was a big challenge because nobody offered a translation service,” she said. “This is why I like to help.”

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During her time in Dover, she befriended a woman named Bertilda. Paez translated for Bertilda. The 54-year-old native Guatemalan moved to California in 1984.

“When I decided to come here, the war was a little easier at the time and God helped me,” she said.

She would make four trips back and forth to Guatemala so she could get her three children. Bertilda said she loved the climate in California and didn’t have language barriers in the state.

“Everything is in Spanish. Also the Chinese people speak Spanish,” she laughed.

But it was hard to find work in California, so she moved to Ohio 12 years ago.

She became a legal resident in 1997. Her three children all were made U.S. citizens, something of which she’s very proud. However, she hasn’t been without suffering in this country. Bertilda’s only daughter was murdered by her son-in-law five years ago. Since then, Bertilda has taken in her daughter’s two children, and made it her mission to help the local Hispanic population, beginning with her granddaughters.

Waiting in line, Bertilda said she wanted her passport so she could bring her grandchildren to Guatemala next year so they could learn about their heritage.

While she is grateful for her residency status, she is frustrated at the immigration laws and how her countrymen often are treated.

“I feel so sad and mad about discrimination because most of the people are scared. They think they have to hide from the police,” she said. “They have to work hard. In companies, they suffer exploitation.”

While she feels passionately about discrimination toward immigrants, Bertilda said she has felt very blessed since arriving in the United States 29 years ago and hopes to become a citizen someday.

“I am very grateful to this country for everything they give me,” she said. “I want to give back to the United States in any way I can.”